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Weird bug: Data field changed while I was out on a run!

Hi All,

I was out on a run this morning, when I noticed the data field I usually have set to show distance, had changed to timer! So I was clueless as to the distance, so I went it to the settings and changed it back to distance!

Then 10 minutes or so later, it did it again, it was back on timer. So again, I set it back to distance and carried on.

But then 5 minutes later, I noticed the watch was in the edit data field mode and it was about to select timer again! I also noticed that I was getting the message along the lines of "Touch has been disabled for this screen..." i.e. the main screen showing the activity etc. So it dawned on me, touch was on for running, so I turned it off and then the timer/distance issue went away. It only happened while touch was on.

To add to this, the weather was torrential, it was raining so hard, that I was getting the "Touch has been disabled on this screen message"... every few minutes as the rain was so hard, it thought it was me touching the screen! I never use touch, it's always turned off so I've not see this before.

So now I'm thinking that somehow, the rain managed to hit the screen and change the data fields! Which is crazy!

But usually it shows the "Touch has been disabled for this screen..." but I'm wondering if somehow, it avoided that screen, say in the split second for it to appear or clear, it managed to get into the settings!

Once touch was off, it never happened again! Just wondering if anyone here has had the same issue? It's not a biggie, I'm just curious more than anything else.

In fairness, the rain was so bad, it got through the food zip-lock bag I had my iPhone in. What with the wet on the screen and it then pressing against me in my waist pouch, it started dialling random numbers and contacts!!!! Ended having to completely turn it off! iPhone - Designed in California, never tested while running in the UK's finest summer downpours! 

Cheers All.

Andy.

  • Interesting story. Lesson is disable touch during activity and only run when it's not torrential rain!

  • I have experienced on other garmin watches, it can happen with iq-fields when running low on ressources. Also that the watch face is temporarely changed to a simple default one. 

  • Not sure how much this is related. Since 4.19 when I set up data fields/pages on Garmin Connect on my iPhone, the app starts to freeze or black out. A left-scroll can fix it but, funny enough, the data field set before this happens always then defaults to Timer. For example. If I put pace in a certain field of a 6-field layout page, the watch freezes, and once it works again the datafield defaults to Timer. 
    I have only managed to workaround this by changing the datafield on the watch itself. Not the same issue, but sounded familiar as you mentioned Timer. It never happened to me during a run, though.

  • It's not you, has happened to me about 5 times, usually the field changes to "timer" field. 

  • I'm on Beta 16.12 and the data field changed again.  One field I have is Lap Distance and it was reset back to the Timer field.

  • It is due to the fact that when the touchscreen is enabled, you can edit the fields during an activity.
    You only have to tap longer on a field and it will be changed.
    It is a pity that the toutchstreen is not only used to change the view and save.

  • Yes, first a random long touch caused by water/sweat activates editing a random field, then next next two accidental touches select and save the timer field. That's why I've disabled touchscreen from all my running activities. But truth be told, my fingers are to sweaty that I noticed that using the touch would just make the screen irritatingly dirty. Slight smile

    But it means that this is not actually a "bug", but "just" poor user interface design. The watch probably behaves exactly as intended. Let's hope Garmin changes the behaviour, although I'm pretty certain that if touch editing were to be disabled, there would be complaints as well. (And I definitely don't want a yet another minor option in the settings, where most people will never find it.)

  • I have touch screen disabled for activities..  Maybe I accidentally do it before I start.

  • I had the same problem yesterday during my mountain bike ride...I found the speed was missing and in place of that there was "timer"; looking deeply at the screen I saw there were 3 timer fields, together with speed, also the total ascent was missing...I'm on the 16.12 beta. Btw, I've disabled the touchscreen in all my activities.

  • I was messing with it and I can see how it would happen because the touch screen is still active until you start an activity.  But I don't think that is what I'm dong.